Ryan I'm new on HE but I got several years dealing with programming, networks and computers.
So..of course I have a network but that's not the point here. HE do not have to depend on any other device to work.
One question: You cell phone have to belongs to a network? of course... but it let you decide if use DHCP or static IP, your router, you media player, your PC, your smart TV, all devices who uses internet or need to access a network give you that option.
Why HE do not?
One example: You have a house on the montains... a very pacefull place.... but you have not internet there.. so you cannot automate without a router or any other DHCP server.... it have sense for you?
Any laptop with an ethernet port (or usb to ethernet) can do a cross over cable and set up a Hubitat hub. I know, I have that mountain place that has no network, but I set up a very simple monitoring system using zigbee devices and z-wave alarm.
There is no need for a static IP.
The hub will boot with a private ip or you can use internet connection sharing from a PC or Mac, via cross over cable and directly access it.
A DHCP reservation for most is enough to solve most of the issues out there and is good practice.
Once the device is setup, it doesn't need an active local network connection, unless you obviously want to use any of the local network integrations, etc.
On top of it all, setting the wrong static IP would not be recoverable in the current state of the hub, so adding this isn't a simple thing. There would need to be a physical reset which would need to wipe all things from the hub and you would have to start over. This is just a user land mind waiting to happen.
To me, setting IP reservations in the router provides the best solution. There are devices in my house that I want to have a fixed IP address including the printer, the main computer I use, my IPcameras, and the Hubitat C4 and C5. I had to reset the C4 Hubitat, but since the router had the DHCP reservation, the Hubitat kept the same IP address. This really simplifies things for me. The IP cameras would be a real pain if they were to change IP addresses each time they rebooted. The same applies to each device for which I have either given it a fixed IP address manually in the device or used the router's DHCP reservations to do so.
Phones, tablets, etc. do not need a fixed IP address. DHCP is better for those, but if I want to print something from my phone, having the printer at a consistent IP address helps.
"On top of it all, setting the wrong static IP would not be recoverable in the current state of the hub, so adding this isn't a simple thing. There would need to be a physical reset which would need to wipe all things from the hub and you would have to start over. This is just a user land mind waiting to happen."
This is the best explanation to understand why staff do not want static IP on HE but let be straight: Is my option as user, and you are denying me this!
Patrick, for me this issue is getting a nightmare...
I got long blackouts here every 4 or 5 days and it makes me to unplug the power cable from HE in order to be able to access to HE dashboards or configuration.
There are plenty of ways to advise the user about the problem of use static IP but again...it should be my decision. If he has to reset finally then we have backups (or what are they for?)
Another way is to make HE try to get DHCP again after some time if its IP wasn't assign by dhcp previously... no idea if this can be done but I guess is not a problem to make a cycle until it gets dhcp.
Right now I'm getting DHCP from a server with Kerio Control (in case you dont know it it has DHCP, router, firewall, etc...), but it is a PC at takes more time than HE to start so.... HE is always lost at the starting point.
@aguileramekin You might try looking into Startup Delayer. It allows you to configure how long before something is allowed to startup. You can have a delay on the HE hub's IP address and pick a time longer than the modem startup.
Hi razorwing
"You can have a delay on the HE hub's IP address and pick a time longer than the modem startup."
I downloaded but I don't see how to delay HE. As my understanding this delay the processes in the PC it is installed.
That app appears to delay applications on the Windows computer it is installed on during the power up process rather than being able to delay another device which would realistically require a delayed outlet.
Whatever computer is connected to the modem can be timed to see how long it takes for the computer to boot and the modem to connect to the internet. Startup Delayer could then be delayed slightly longer and using the IP address and the command I have seen to reboot the hub from a URL could be executed to reset the hub to all the correct data. So basically the hub would be rebooted after the modem is up and running.
If I remember correctly startup delayer can do this unless they have changed it. I am going to go and look at it again to see.
EDIT: Well it looks like it will only do exe, bat and com files. So I guess unless you can do something with any of those extensions it looks as if startup delayer won't work. Sorry about that. I used it to delay HS so the conbee program I had could load first.
@bravenel Do you know how to write a bat file that would execute the URL to reboot a hub? thanks
My original C-4 died today...very very sad day. But...I ordered a backup when they were on sale awhile back. I took the radio stick out of the old, popped it into the new, fired it up and ALL IS GOOD! It was assigned a DHCP but I did like you mentioned, I just replaced the MAC address in the router's allow access reserved DHCP assignment table, bounced the Hubitat and all is lined up again. VERY VERY happy about that because of all my ESP8266's that are running without OTA enabled. Whewwww!
@ogiewon@Terk@Ryan780 Guys it boils down to options. My problem is my router. A very expensive asus 5300ROG( I should have gone with ubiquity.. I know).
That randomly changes up addresses. Huge issue people have been reporting that restarts cause all settings to be reset. Huge firmware bug since last year feb.
However. All devices that were manually assigned a static ip on the actual devices still register. Hubitat gets kicked off and as such I dread having to manually configure the router and pray it does not reset.
It happens very intermittently so it works for weeks on end then just does not.
Yes I can buy a new router but I'm tied into asus mesh which worked amazingly till last year using my old routers as well.
Also prices in my country are insane so will not be buying anything I don't have to.
Coming back to my point, I am fairly technical and since the hub portal...app and many more ways if finding your hub makes static ip on the hub a min issue.. we should have this option to solidify our smart home..
My case is a rare case yet very valid..
I truly hope the Devs can change this.
Have you tried the 3rd party Asus Merlin firmware? It might solve the bug you mentioned and it’s supported on your router: https://www.asuswrt-merlin.net/
Have you tried running the AsusWRT Merlin firmware on your router. If it is available for your router, I always found Merlin’s firmware the best option when I was using ASUS routers. I have since switched to a full Ubiquiti UniFi system.
I hope the Hubitat devs decide to offer a static IP address option as well.
I solved the problem of my Hubitat and Lutron bridge going down with my unreliable Internet with a subnet router. Now it works and keeps the ip addresses the same when the main router has no internet connection. Now my ip addresses have stayed the same for over a year while on the subnet and everything talks when the internet is down.
